Mumbai’s air is filled with honking cars, and relentless clanking from construction work. But if you slow down during the work-home commute, the city will offer you a different tune. Walk by Bazaar Road in Bandra late in the morning or evening and you’ll hear trumpets sound. One trumpet, actually. It’s Joe, or Joseph Vessoaker. “I’m a self-taught musician, teacher, and bandleader. I’ve played with well-known musicians and the Bombay Chamber Orchestra. But I always consider myself a street player,” Joe, 72, introduces himself.

Vessoaker in his youth